Just Like That
by Hologram Love
Summary: It began on a completely normal practice. Ritsu realized something and it brought thoughts and emotions that she always knew existed inside her, but was never bright enough to do something about it. Mio/Ritsu
1. prologue

I come bearing a shojo-ai K-ON fanfic.  


* * *

During one afternoon rehearsal at the light music room, the five girls played their instruments with practiced ease. Ritsu hit the drumheads with her innate rhythm while watching Mio pluck the thick bass strings, sweat dripping down her forehead. Every member of the light music club was swept away by their own music, except for Ritsu.

She watched her childhood friend's butt sway with the melody of the song. Ritsu heard the loud reverb of the bass and that was her cue to start the complicated roll that she developed especially for that song.

Ritsu struck the drums with precision that she practiced since middle school. It came so naturally for her that she did not need to concentrate; all she thought about was Mio and her bass. She was on the verge of beating the cymbals. She did, quite loudly, and it shocked her, sending her to the floor.

"Oof!" She yelped, her head colliding with the floor.

"Ricchan!" Yui exclaimed, turning towards the fallen drummer. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine~!" Ritsu replied, sitting up while rubbing the back of her head. She glanced up at Mio who was looking at her with eyes brimming with worry.

"I'm fine Mio, so get that look off your face, okay?" She said with a flashy grin. Mio nodded in affirmation and they resumed practice. Thankfully, Ritsu did not zone out anymore.

* * *

After eating the cakes that Mugi brought, they all packed up their belongings to go home. Ritsu hummed Light and Fluffy Time as she waited for Mio to finish gathering her things.

Midterms were fast approaching as it was paired up with winter break as the fruits of their endeavours. Mio, with her bag filled with notebooks and textbooks, her winter coat as well as her bass guitar made it difficult to move. Not to mention the slippery sidewalk.

"Here," Ritsu said while offering her hand out. "Give me your bag."

Mio sighed in relief. "Thanks Ritsu."

She grinned and rubbed her nose. "No problem."

Mio and Ritsu bade goodbye to Yui and Azusa who remained in the clubroom for more practice. They fell into pace with one another as they walked into the cold winter wind.

"Ritsu," Mio hummed with her musical voice that Ritsu cannot get enough of. "What were you thinking about when you fell over during practice today?"

_I can't say 'your cute butt' now, can I?_ "I… was just thinking how hard I have to study for midterms! Yeah, that's it, midterms!" Ritsu exclaimed, flinching at the way her voice seemed so fake. Mio scrunched her nose at the obvious lie that she just said but allowed the topic to rest.

They stopped before the house that had the nameplate 'Akiyama'. Mio waved at Ritsu before entering. The brown-haired girl had her hand up midway as she watched the long-haired girl's retreating back. She felt a tug at her chest but chose to ignore it as she thought of the possible changes that her innate emotions will bring across her way.


	2. chapter 2

The next few days Ritsu attempted to be as normal as possible. This meant hyperactive and playful. At first, Mio was stealing glances at her but it soon dissipated as midterms dawned upon them. She reverted into a mother-like figure, urging both Yui and Ritsu to study until they are spent.

Ritsu totally complies, as long as she gets to spend alone time with her _best friend_, not that Mugi and Yui aren't. Mio just knows how to get through her head for most of the time.

"Eh?! But I want to study with Ricchan and Mio-chan!" Yui whined, slapping the table to amplify her argument. "You know, study group, study group!"

"Yui-chan," Mugi sang, waving a box of cake in front of her. "We'll study together and eat some cake, alright?"

"Yay, cake!"

Silently thanking Mugi, Ritsu faced Mio who turned her head at the same time, where topaz met amber.

"My house or yours?" Ritsu asked as casually as she could. But in reality, with her newfound emotions, everything that she does with Mio reaches its all-time high.

"Mine, if you don't mind." Mio answered.

"I don't mind," Ritsu hummed with a grin. "I know you can't stand the cold."

-

Ritsu arrived at Mio's house at their designated time, which was nine p.m. She said hello to Mio's parents and went upstairs to her room.

The pale pink walls and girly bed accessories described the 'real' Mio; none of those dark and mysterious things that her fan club thinks her to be since she is tall and has sleek black hair.

"You're on time for once," Mio pointed out, textbooks laid out across the table.

"Ha ha, well…" Ritsu laughed in embarrassment. _I can't say that I want to see her badly!_

They began with Japanese History. Ritsu managed to answer almost every question Mio threw at her.

"You're unbelievably attentive today." Mio told her with a soft smile. "I wonder why that is?"

Ritsu shrugged but blushed at Mio's small display of affection. "Next question!"

They covered chapter after chapter with barely any breaks in between. They managed to cover the five chapters of Japanese History and they soon moved into Math. No matter how hard Ritsu tried to concentrate, she just could not. Math bored her to death, that even Mio didn't expect her to be as attentive as she was before. So instead of reviewing her formulas, Ritsu took to staring at Mio.

"What's wrong is there something on my face?" Mio asked. Ritsu jumped up at the sound of her beautiful voice.

"He he, there's nothing on your face. It's just… _**THERE'S SOMEONE BEHIND YOU!!!**_"

"_**AAIIEE!!!**_"

Mio shrieked louder than an amplified instrument as she threw the textbook off her lap and jumped towards Ritsu. The ebony-haired girl clung to the flustered brunette as she attempted to calm the whimpering girl in her arms.

_She's so soft… And smells like—what the heck am I thinking?!_

After assuring Mio that there was indeed no one behind her, Mio slapped Ritsu on her head. She took her textbook from the floor and began to study, this time beside Ritsu that there was no more space in between them.

Ritsu gulped and immediately regretted teasing Mio, yet she relished the girl's proximity. She welcomed the taller girl's warmth and curvature that melded with hers. It began to surround her, so much so that she couldn't concentrate.

"O-oi Mio… You're too close…!" Ritsu murmured. Mio's body heat was making her feel dizzy and incomprehensibly content.

"This is your entire fault, idiot Ritsu…" Mio whined, sidling closer beside her companion. "If you didn't tease me…"

*thump*

"Eek!"

Mio screeched once more and grabbing hold of Ritsu's arm, burying her face against her neck with their hands intertwined. Mio's large and calloused hands encompassed Ritsu's and her fiery breath melted the skin around the shorter-haired girl's neck.

"Its okay, Mio!" Ritsu said soothingly. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

"R-really…?" Mio asked, looking up at Ritsu with her big brown eyes that were shimmering and dancing with unshed tears. Ritsu had to resist the ultimate urge to shiver.

"Really, because I love you."

Time and reason ceased to exist as Ritsu froze and Mio moved away from Ritsu's haphazard embrace. She found herself missing Mio's intense heat and feminine softness.

"W-what you do mean by that?" She asked in a soft tone.

"Exactly what I said," Ritsu said, deciding to screw everything else. She said it now and there is no more reason to pull away. "I love you Mio. I don't know since when, I don't know why but all I know is that what I feel for you is the truest thing I have ever felt."

Mio was silent as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. This made Ritsu feel jittery. She grabbed Mio's arms and spun her so she would face her out of impatience.

Their eyes met and Ritsu's grip on Mio tightened to keep her in place. She squirmed underneath the drummer girl's gaze who watched her with the intensity that defined her passion for the bassist.

_If I am going down, might as well go down all the way_ she thought. Ritsu glanced at Mio's full lips that glistened with saliva. She swooped down in a one-hit attempt to kiss the girl of her dreams. Ritsu landed precisely against the seam of her warm and sweet lips, relishing the sensation that she would feel only once.

That's how Ritsu broke two of the most sacred rules of friendship.

One; she fell in love with her best friend.

Two; she kissed her without permission or any indication of returning her feelings.

Ritsu pulled away and stared at the space separating them. It represented the gulf that she dug between the two of them with her confession and the kiss.

"…Get out."

"M-Mio…"

"I said get out."

"…U-understood."

The brunette stood up and gathered her books. She spared the most beautiful girl in her world one more glance and left her room.

When Mio's mother asked why she was leaving in the middle of the night, Ritsu said that it was because of her; that she was being an idiot. She warned her mother to not go into her room because she might be angry.

While walking home amidst the cold wind, Ritsu's insides were on fire and her tears burned her eyes and cheeks. They fell as a sign of her angst and loss.

She reached her home and immediately went to her room despite her grumbling stomach, she cried herself to sleep.


	3. chapter 3

The following day the first person to notice Ritsu and Mio's puffy red eyes was Mugi. She glanced at the two friends who weren't even looking at one another with worry in her brow. Azusa noticed a few seconds after she did but chose not to pry, and Yui was clueless as ever.

"Ricchan," Mugi called Ritsu softly, waving her pale hand to have her come closer. "What happened between you and Mio-chan?"

Ritsu stood up and pulled Mugi out of the classroom. They stood in the middle of the hallway where people were starting to go to their homeroom.

"I told Mio I love her." Ritsu stated, watching Mugi's reaction, expecting it to change from calm and into horrification. It didn't.

"I knew it!" Mugi exclaimed, clapping her hands together with a big grin on her face. "I always knew!"

"Wait, what?" Ritsu's jaw dropped. "Knew what?!"

"That you love Mio-chan. I see how you look at her every single day, after all!" Mugi beamed an even brighter blaze than the sun.

Ritsu slumped against the wall with the largest sigh. "What do I do, Mugi?" She whimpered, any signs of independence and strength leaving her. "I just ruined the best thing that's ever happened to me because of my rashness."

"Love isn't stupid, Ritsu." Mugi chided gently. "And whatever you do, don't apologize for loving her. But if you really have to, apologize for the truth."

The brunette smiled crookedly towards their band pianist. They stood there facing one another until Sawako-sensei approached them and asked them to enter the classroom to start classes.

Since club activities were cancelled for students to focus on their studies, Ritsu had no reason to hang around with the members of After-School Tea Time.

"Ricchan, do you want to join us for study group?" Yui asked excitedly, banging her hand against her table as she did so.

"Nah," she replied as nonchalantly as possible while glancing at the sleek-haired girl. "I have to help my mom with dinner tonight. Maybe tomorrow."

Ritsu twirled her favourite pencil between her fingers and tapped the notebook before her. _Tainaka Mio_ was scribbled all over the page, and a sparse amount of _Akiyama Ritsu_.

Looking at Mio once more, she hastily scrawled something and ripped the tiny slip of paper that read:

**Mio. Forgive me for my truths. Forget everything I said.**

**Ignore my feelings. I miss you. –R**

"Alright, I'm going now," Ritsu said, waving goodbye to the two other girls. Using her expert note-passing skills, she dropped the piece of paper on Mio's lap and exited the classroom. Without any more distractions, tears slipped their way out of her eyes due to the angst that lodged itself in her heart.

The wind was Ritsu's only companion as she walked towards the train station. She slowly felt her friendship with Mio withering away with the breeze like the passing of seasons but this time, it stung more than the bitter cold.

* * *

Mio stepped inside Ritsu's room only to find the tan-haired girl doing a handstand against the wall opposing her bed.

"What the heck are you doing?" Mio asked signs of melting snow upon her hair. For a moment it felt as if they were still the best of friends with no confession to ruin it all.

Ritsu rolled back to the floor to a sitting position, looking up at the big brown eyes of the bassist. "I'm trying to stop myself from crying."

Mio stiffened and threw the notepaper at the table positioned before Ritsu. She didn't spare it a glance, but she looked away from the long-haired beauty that remained standing.

"You didn't have to come here you know."

"How do you expect me to 'ignore' your feelings?!" Mio yelled, frustration making her clenched fist tremble. Her knuckles were a pasty white from the cold and the disturbance in her heart. "How can I forget something as spontaneous as _that_?!"

"Spontaneous, yes, but it's the truth!"

Mio opened her mouth to speak but her vocal chords constricted tightly within her neck. She found it extremely difficult to breathe as the warmth of Ritsu's golden eyes set her skin aflame, so she closed her lips into a slim line.

"Y-you're my best friend Ritsu." Mio murmured to herself.

"…"

"You're my best friend… My best friend—"

"Stop it, Mio." Ritsu hissed in resentment, not to the girl before her but rather at the mistake of letting her emotions out. Her lack of tact caused this to happen. _**If only…**_ If only she resisted the urge to speak, Mio would be here, laughing, instead of being in the verge of tears.

"It hurts more than you think. Saying that I'm your best friend over and over again… Do you think it's a chant to turn back the time?!"

Mio slumped to the floor with a dull thud, her hands over her face. Her shoulders shook like an earthquake, but Ritsu resisted the urge to grab her and hold her close.

"B-but why do you f-feel… L-like that?!"

Ritsu chuckled with her forelock dangling in between her eyes as the tugged it, all the while staring at Mio.

"Because you are a scaredy cat. You can't be open about personal things. Your voice when you sing, the passion in your eyes when you play the bass even if it was just during practice… Your cute butt and your long hair that flows like and magic… It's so black that if I went blind, I will end up thinking of your hair, not the darkness." Ritsu smirked. "I can go on forever."

Mio was blushing by the end of Ritsu's mini-speech but she remained silent.

"It doesn't even have to be those things." The drummer girl continued. "You can be brave and outspoken. Your voice can be lower. Your hair can be brown, and I'll still love you like I do; as long as you're Akiyama Mio, the girl I knew since forever."

"So how will it go, Mio? Will you at least try to ignore my feelings? Will you let it go and let me be your friend once more, or will you forget about me for the rest of your life?"

"W-we're both girls…!"

"That's the first time I heard that argument coming from you." Ritsu muttered with overcast eyes. "But it's understandable. I'm not normal, I get it."

A sudden knock upon the door disrupted their intense debate for the righteousness of Ritsu's affection. It was Ritsu's mom.

"Mio-chan, I'm sorry to interrupt your visit but there's a blizzard brewing close to here. I called your mother and told her you'll be staying for the night!"

The pair froze not because of the cold. The discomfort that settled like a dust of cloud was ruptured once more. Ritsu scowled at the floor while Mio stared at her hands.

**How will this night go?**


	4. chapter 4

Ritsu and Mio stared at one another, blinking like a rapidly-rising butterfly. Their faces contorted into disbelief and anxiety. In the background, the howling of the wind rattled the windows as it was buffeted by wind and snow.

They heard the fading footsteps of Ritsu's mom. The brunette sighed and looked at Mio who was trembling. Whether it was from terror of spending a night with a _girl _who is in love with her or simply from the cold… Ritsu will never know.

"You can have my bed," the drummer said. She stood up from her sitting position and looked into her drawers for clothes that Mio could wear. She pulled out a baby blue sweater and a pair of black shorts. "Here are some clothes."

Mio accepted them in silence that it made Ritsu angry at herself. Her brutal honesty and incapability to keep life-changing secrets did this to their relationship.

"Thanks," the long-haired beauty said, disappearing behind the wooden door, leaving her usually hyperactive friend slumped against the foot of her bed with her face in cupped by her calloused palms.

Ritsu melted in a pool of worry and regret. She watched the door, pondering to herself what she could do in order to move on and have Mio as her best friend once more.

The moon cut in half amongst the middle of the clouded sky. Torrents of snow and flurries fell to the ground, slowly building up walls on the streets of the city. Ritsu felt like running outside with nothing but her pyjamas and experience the cold all the way through her skin and bones and insides.

_It's not fair how much she affects me, _Ritsu thought. _When she doesn't really care about what I feel. Sure, she accepts me as her friend with Yui and Mugi but… I don't want just __**that**__. I want to hold her and kiss her and do naughty stuff to her—_

Ritsu cut herself off by slamming her head against the floor. Images of a naked Mio in the bath filled her mind's eye. She dispelled the awkwardness and warmth that pooled in her stomach. She trembled and hugged a pillow, willing her imagination to take a break from picturing Mio's bare skin against hers, loving Ritsu with the same way the she does.

Mio stepped out of the bathroom and padded her way barefoot back to Ritsu's room. She walked in to a room where Ritsu was banging her head against the floor with a desperate look on her face.

"Every time I enter your room it looks like you're trying to kill yourself." Mio announced, sitting on the bed beside Ritsu. The topaz-eyed girl scowled at Mio, who merely laughed.

"It's about time for dinner," Ritsu said, standing up from the ground. "Come on."

* * *

Dinner with the Tainaka family was always a pleasant affair for Mio. They were very happy and talkative, making Mio as welcome as possible. After dinner, Ritsu and Mio exited the dining room only to collide with Ritsu's little brother.

"Ah, sorry Mio-neechan." Satoshi muttered, staring at the female bassist in wonder. Ritsu scowled at his flustered little brother but more so at Mio whose lips curved into a stunning smile.

"It's okay Satoshi."

"Take a picture. It lasts longer." Ritsu hissed, pushing Satoshi out of the way and heading to her room, not bothering to look back to face a blushing Mio and an annoyed little brother.

* * *

The door that leads to Ritsu's room closed with an explosive crash. Mio leaned against it and frowned at the brunette who was using two pencils as drumsticks against her notebook.

"Why did you have to be so mean to Satoshi?" Mio berated, her voice itched with annoyance. "You're so immature!"

Ritsu scowled at her notebook and spun her chair to see Mio in her clothes, hands on her hips, looking so casual, so at home that Ritsu couldn't help but stare.

"Maybe I am…" She muttered.

"What?"

"I am immature." Ritsu stated with her eyes a shimmering golden. "I don't like to see my brother talking and staring at you because I'm jealous."

"J-jealous? O-of what?"

"He has a higher chance of being with you than I do." Ritsu said. It was so simple, the way she said it, but it stung like the flames that was threatening to traipse out of her eyelids. "Just because he's a guy. It's unfair, but oh well."

Mio sighed. "I don't want to talk about that anymore."

Ritsu knew that Mio didn't mean to, but why did that statement had to hurt that bad?

_Not being able to talk about how much I love Mio bites_ Ritsu thought. _It's like learning how to write and not being able to because I have no paper to write on._

"Okay then," she said out loud, ignoring the scratching in her stomach that urged her to yell out her love for Mio. "Want to watch the concert of The Who?"

Mio beamed and nods. "Sure!"

* * *

For the entire time the concert DVD was playing, they forgot about the awkwardness. They laughed, they talked and teased one another like they used to. It brought relief within Ritsu as she basked in the glow of Mio's laughter.

It was already three in the morning by the time they finished the concert. After all the exhilaration, fatigue finally caught up to the pair of growing musicians.

"Hey Ritsu," Mio called out from her seat on the floor. Her tone of voice sent the atmosphere into another bout of unease and restlessness.

"What is it?"

"I-is there any way you can forget your feelings? For me, I mean." The long-haired bassist stammered. "It's not enough for me if I'm the only one who forgets."

Ritsu was grasping at straws. A huge part of her knew, _always knew_ that it will come to this. Mio is sweet, doesn't want people to suffer.

"Nope, sorry!" Ritsu grinned, tucking her arms behind her head. Her cheeks felt so much like plastic and so does her smile.

"E-eh?! Why not?"

Ritsu suddenly sobered, staring at the ground as she did so. "That's just asking for the impossible. It's like you're asking me to forget how to breathe because I'm emitting too much carbon dioxide for the earth to handle."

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"I know you don't, but that's how it felt like to me." The short-haired girl murmured. She leaned forward, using her arm to support herself on the table. It was a miracle that Mio did not flinch as Ritsu watched her with every intent of telling her how she feels.

"I can spend an eternity apologizing," Ritsu whispered, her breath sinister and too morose for the energetic girl. "Not because I love you but more like I didn't pick a better moment to confess. Now it led to this. I do love you, Mio."

The most beautiful girl in Ritsu's world flicked her gaze to her lips. Ritsu noticed, and was pretty sure that it was no illusion. The blood that rose up to her cheeks was enough proof. The bassist scooted backwards, as the drummer leaned forward with every shift back.

Black hair met the pastel walls of Ritsu's room, and the lovesick brunette situated her knee in between her ivory legs which reflected the light from the lamp. Ritsu licked her lips and placed her arms on either side of the flustered girl.

"Ritsu," she said in rhythm of her intense heartbeat while placing both of her hands on the predator's shoulders. The girl who possessed the name pushed her curved elbow, so that Mio's limbs would surround her neck.

The golden-eyed girl nudged her forehead with Mio's and met her lips with ease. They were meant for each other if it were this easy to meet one-sided affection that came from Ritsu. Their heated mouths tangled with one another, Mio's fingers ensnared in the mass of russet hair. Ritsu's palms discovered her hips, digging into her feminine softness that she was terribly familiar with after all those years of sleeping side by side during thunderstorms.

"Mio," Ritsu sighed against the supple skin of her neck. The long-haired girl squirmed and tightened her grip around her neck, pulling her closer. Ritsu took this chance to suck on the pulse point that sounded the bassist's heartbeat with its constant staccato. Mio moaned and writhed beneath her tongue that lapped at the red harshness that was forming on her neck.

"R-Ritsu…"

The strangled voice was enough to snap Ritsu out of her heated reverie. She proceeded to move away but Mio's limbs prevented her from doing so.

"M-Mio, I'm—"

She was cut off with another kiss, like a dream that she once had; a fantasy that involved Mio kissing her without inhibitions and thoughts of consequences. It was trance where they lived in the moment.

"Don't stop." The usually-shy girl ordered, her hazel eyes clouded with intense emotions that Ritsu only saw whenever she plays the bass. It symbolized the passion that sweltered within her, waiting to be unleashed. "Never stop."

* * *

Ritsu felt so surreal. She lay down on the floor, covers over her body and Mio sleeping alone on her bed. It was a sudden turnabout; how Mio began to return her kisses and ardour that began as a one-sided affection. No words were spoken between the two as whimpers and sighs emanated from their lips. Ritsu, who wasn't aware of her strength, carried the raven-haired girl onto her double bed.

But after that, things started going downhill.

Mio became aware, despite her passion-induced state that it was Ritsu she was kissing: A person, her friend, who is the_ same_ gender as she. It made her push the ardent girl away without another word.

Ritsu covered her lips with her hand as tears slid down her cheeks. She was so close… Her Mio-senses tingled with ravenous torture. The sensation of her lips against hers remained, driving her to the point of crazed insanity.

Her vision became completely clouded; sleep taking her consciousness away with every flutter of her eyes. Nightmares of Mio repeatedly rejecting her as her hate-filled eyes smouldered with disgust. Ritsu's heart throbbed in pungent rhythms like a clock ticking her emotions away.


End file.
